Tech up or get left behind: Delivering on expectations for a modern customer experience

Imagine you’re an agent who gets a call from a customer that is struggling to resolve an issue with a product or service they have bought. You can hear the frustration in their voice. They’ve been on hold for an extended period, and they’ve already spoken to two other agents who couldn’t solve their problem. Now, they have to repeat their story all over again with you. You’re empathetic, but you also wish you knew this before you answered the call. You could have prepared yourself to better help the customer.

Does this sound like a familiar interaction? Far too often customer service agents must respond to these calls but if organisations expect to keep agent and customer satisfaction high, this needs to become a thing of the past. According to a 2022 McKinsey report, 61% of global decision makers have reported a growth in total calls in contact centres. This isn’t just because companies have more customers overall (although this is true), it’s also driven by customers feeling unsatisfied by an experience, leading to them phoning contact centres more frequently.

It’s time to implement a solution that alleviates the stress of contact centre agents and resolves the concerns of customers.

At the same time when contact centres are under strain, organisations (who see the value in an interactive CX) are looking to increase the number of digital interactions they have with their customers – adding further pressure. It’s reassuring then, that the same McKinsey survey reports that the key areas for investment include technology that improves omnichannel and digital capabilities.

At Puzzel, we know that the contact centres that provide a seamless experience and resolve issues quickly through a customer’s preferred channel will be the ones to succeed.

Two steps to setting up your contact centre for success

To meet increased customer demands, businesses need to take a two-pronged approach:

They need to address the existing demands that have increased since the pandemic.
They need to evolve with customer needs and future-proof themselves.

In the post-pandemic era, businesses need to adapt to changing customer expectations and agent needs. An omnichannel approach is essential for today’s discerning consumers who want to use their preferred channel, receive instantaneous responses, and be met online. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, chatbots will become the primary customer service channel for a quarter of organisations, illustrating that virtual interactions are fast becoming the preferred choice.

Remote contact centre staff have found that cloud technology helps them to collaborate with other agents and teams easily and provide better customer service. According to Forrester, 79% of global contact centre decision makers agree that the right cloud toolset is critical or important to optimising their CCaaS.

Additionally, the lack of technological investments can have a significant impact on contact centres. Older systems and technologies are often slow, outdated, and unable to integrate with other systems – requiring more IT maintenance and making it difficult for agents to do their job efficiently. When speaking to agents, we know that they have a harder time accessing customer data and insights, and often spend time on manual tasks such as data entry. For customers, we found that a lack of technological investments can lead to longer wait times, inability to get through to agents with the right information, and difficulty getting their issues resolved. This can result in increased customer churn.

Top tips to enhance the customer experience

At Puzzel, we have seen an accelerated shift to digital, resulting in a more tech-savvy population with increasingly complex and immediate needs. Contact centre leaders must now pair their deep understanding of the industry with advanced knowledge of technology and processes to meet and exceed customer expectations.

One way to do this is to invest in Puzzel solutions and technology that facilitates the implementation of chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI), which in turn empowers agents. Puzzel’s Smart Chatbot can provide 24/7 customer support, while Puzzel’s Agent Assist can support agents to provide the best advice and resolutions for customers by utilising AI.

Combining this with Puzzel’s Digital Engagement is a recipe for success. The solution, based on the customer’s intent and context together with service availability, can ensure contact centres can direct them down the service or channel best suited for them. This can free up contact centre agents to focus on more complex issues and empower them to make decisions without having to escalate every issue to a supervisor. This technology can also provide a more personalised customer experience, as agents are able to resolve customer issues more quickly and efficiently, making customers feel more valued and respected.

Empowered agents are more likely to stay in their roles, retaining the specialist skills that support the creation of a positive customer experience. Together, with this feeling of empowerment and newfound time (available now due to efficiencies created through tech), they are also more likely to deliver more empathic support for customers.

At Puzzel we are here to support you. By enhancing the modern contact centre experience, your business can create a more positive work environment for your agents and a more positive customer experience.